


Husband and Wife

by Spacecadet72



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Undercover as Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:19:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5548868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Investigative journalists Henry Morgan and Abigail Rayne go undercover as husband and wife to solve the mystery of several missing couples.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Husband and Wife

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KristiLynn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristiLynn/gifts).



> One of the prompts I was given was undercover married, as well as pretty much any AU. My first thought was that undercover married would be perfect for Mortinez, but I figured why not do a reporter AU so that I can write Henry/Abigail? I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> While this is not a Superman AU, the overall feel and general plot is loosely borrowed from the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV show. (Especially episode 3x05.) As this isn't really a Superman AU, there's no need to have any prior knowledge of Lois & Clark to read this story.
> 
> Thank you to [idelthoughts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/idelthoughts) and [aika_max](http://archiveofourown.org/users/aika_max) for looking this over for me. :D

All the heads in the bullpen snapped up as Joanna Reece, managing editor, opened the door to her office, and called out, “Rayne, Morgan, my office.”

Looks were exchanged as the partners walked into Reece’s office. 

“I wonder what the Chief wants with Henry and Abigail,” Lucas Wahl, photographer and all around gopher asked quietly from where he sat on the edge of Jo Martinez’s desk. He had been delivering the research she had asked him to get for the article she was working on with Molly Dawes who was standing behind both of them. 

Jo shrugged, and kept her eyes on her computer. “They’re partnered up on stories more often than not. It’s not that odd for them to be called into Reece’s office.” 

Molly and Lucas both looked back at the office for a moment. They couldn’t see in very well at this angle, but that didn’t stop them from trying. 

“Must be a big story if they’re being called into her office to be given the assignment,” Lucas said, sounding wistful. 

“Maybe it’s about those missing couples? That’s still pretty big news.” Jo speculated, finally looking away from the computer. 

“Or they’re in trouble,” Molly said, with a mischievous smile. “Maybe they got caught in the break room.”

Lucas whirled around to face Molly. “Wait, they’re together now? Who won the pool?”

Molly waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t think they’ve actually figured things out and gotten together yet, but one can imagine.” 

Even Jo nodded in agreement with that statement. Henry Morgan and Abigail Rayne had been partnering on stories for over a year now, and one of the reasons they worked so well together was their natural chemistry. That hadn’t translated to anything outside of the office, much to the frustration and amusement of everyone else on the floor. 

“They’re like Woodward and Bernstein but with more unresolved sexual tension,” Lucas said, still staring at Reece’s office. 

The office door opened and Jo, Molly and Lucas all turned their attention back to Jo’s computer, trying to look innocent. 

Henry and Abigail stepped out and walked over to their respective desks, their body language awkward and stiff, not speaking to each other or anyone else. 

They worked separately for several minutes before Abigail walked over to Henry’s desk and leaned in close to him, pointing at something on his computer screen. The awkwardness melted away as Henry responded to whatever question she had asked with enthusiasm, his hands flying across the keyboard. 

Molly, Jo and Lucas, who had been watching this exchange out of the corner of their eyes, traded knowing smiles before turning their attention back to their work. 

\-----

“How was work?” Abe asked as he set dinner--lasagna--on the table. 

Henry grimaced, thinking of the meeting in Reece’s office earlier. 

“That bad, huh?”

Henry shook his head. “No, I just got a new assignment that I’m not sure about yet.” 

“What is it? An article you’re not sure you should write?” Abe asked as he scooped large helpings of lasagna onto both of their plates. 

Henry shook his head again. “It’s an undercover assignment.” 

Abe’s eyebrows rose. “That’s kind of a big deal, isn’t it? Those don’t come around very often.”

Henry nodded as he took a bite. “Reece assigned Abigail and I to go undercover as husband and wife for a story about those missing couples.” 

“And you still haven’t asked her out, so this is awkward,” Abe said with a grin. 

Henry leveled Abe with a stare. “This isn’t funny, Abraham.” 

Abe’s grin fell. “You’re right, it’s not funny to watch you not even try to find happiness with someone because you think everyone is going to expose your secret or get you committed.” 

“It’s not an unfounded fear,” Henry said, his food forgotten. “Immortality is not a fact people are ready to accept.” 

“I did.” 

“Yes, but you were much younger, and I’m your father,” Henry said with a sigh. “And you saw me die. That helps.” 

“I still think you should tell her,” Abe insisted. “You can trust Abigail.”

“She’s a reporter, Abe. You know how Abigail can get when chasing a story. And finding out that I am an immortal would be quite the story.” 

“Do you really think she would do that to you?”

Henry hesitated before answering. “I don’t know,” he said finally, his voice hoarse and unsure. 

“Well, I do,” Abe said, firmly. “She would never do that to you. And you would never do that to her or anyone else. Some of you reporters have morals,” Abe finished with a smile. 

Henry returned it, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes. He shook his head, his expression conflicted. 

“I don’t know that I’m ready to take that leap.” 

Abe was silent for a moment, considering Henry’s words. 

“I know it’s hard, but Abigail makes you happy, and the only way things will ever work out between you is for you to tell her the truth.” Abe got up, his empty plate and glass in his hands. “Whatever you do, be careful on this assignment, Henry.”

Henry nodded and bade him goodnight but stayed in his seat, needing to give Abe’s advice some thought. 

\-----

“All right, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, here’s your key, and your room will be just down this hall, all the way down and on the right,” the overly cheerful clerk said, handing Henry the room key and his receipt. “Is there anything else you’ll be needing during your stay?”

Henry shook his head. “We’ll be fine, thank you.” 

The clerk nodded, and handed him a brochure detailing all the activities--mostly outdoor winter activities this close to the end of the year--available in the surrounding area. 

“Breakfast is served from 6 am to 10 am every morning.”

He nodded and turned to Abigail. “All ready, darling?” 

She nodded, sliding her hand from where it had been resting on his arm to his hand so she could intertwine her fingers with his. 

He had only just picked her up from her apartment this morning, and still wasn’t used to the feel of her hand in his, or the way she leaned against him as they checked in, or how easily “darling” had fallen off his tongue as he turned to address her. Instead he focused on the familiar and determined click of her heels against the hardwood floor, and the way the wheels of her suitcase sounded in counterpoint. 

The reached their room, and Henry had to let go of Abigail’s hand to open the door. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or saddened by the loss of contact. He pushed the door open and they walked in. 

Their eyes were both drawn to the single large bed in the middle of the room. 

“I’ll take the floor,” Henry said after a beat of silence. 

“It is a rather large bed,” Abigail started, setting her suitcase down and moving further into the room. “We could even set pillows as a barrier in the middle if that would make you more comfortable. I promise I won’t bite, Henry,” she said, throwing a teasing smile his way. 

Without waiting for an answer, Abigail set her laptop bag on the table in the corner and began pulling out papers and tape. She took each paper, looked at it once and then taped it on the wall above the table. Once all the papers were up--and she had only needed to rearrange a couple of sheets--she opened her laptop and sat down. 

Henry was well acquainted with this process. Their coworkers teased her for the nondigital method, but she said she needed a version of her notes in hard copy and where she could easily see them in order to keep everything straight. She had another copy on her laptop and would go between the two sets of notes with every assignment. 

He had to admit that this small ritual was something he loved and looked forward to on every assignment they worked together. Technology had its purposes and he’d brought his own laptop on the trip, but with how connected and distracted everyone was with their smartphones and their social media, seeing handwritten notes scrawled on sticky notes and torn out notebook sheets brought a measure of comfort. 

Abigail looked up to find him staring at her. She raised an eyebrow.

“Are you going to join me or just stand there looking pretty?”

Henry smiled and slipping his own laptop out of its bag, went to sit across from her at the small table. 

\-----

They worked for the next hour, pulling together everything they knew and working up theories. There was still a lot they didn’t know, but that was why there were there now. 

Henry looked up at Abigail and then back at his watch. “It’s almost lunch time. Want to head down and see if we can catch any of the other guests?”

Abigail nodded and shut her laptop. 

Abigail slid her hand into his once they stepped into the hall, and Henry steeled himself for acting the happy husband.

There was a roaring fire in the fireplace in the small lobby area, and the large picture window opposite gave a good view to the snow covered yard behind the house. 

There was a man and a woman, hand in hand, already standing by the window, and Abigail nudged Henry with her arm to point them out. Henry gave a slight nod to show that he understood and they walked over. 

“Isn’t it just beautiful outside?” Abigail asked as they reached the window. 

The couple turned to them at Abigail’s question. 

“It really is. I love this time of year,” the woman answered. 

“Me, too,” Abigail replied with a smile. “I’m Abigail Morgan by the way, and this is my husband, Henry.” 

“I’m Debbie Seiler and this is my husband, Mark.” Debbie answered as they all shook hands. 

“Oh, look! You’re under the mistletoe,” Debbie said, pointing to a spot above their heads with obvious glee. 

“It is tradition,” Abigail said with a smile before placing her hand on Henry’s cheek and leaning up to capture his lips with hers. 

The kiss was soft and gentle, appropriate for such a public place. Henry’s hands twitched at his sides, but he knew if he brought his arms around her that the kiss would cease to be so tame. He satisfied himself with placing one hand gently on her waist just as she pulled back. 

She looked up briefly, and he hoped the smile she sent his way was more than just for their cover. Before he could continue that train of thought, or kiss her again, Debbie spoke. 

“You two make such a cute couple,” she said, her smile wide. “How long have you two been married?”

“Two years,” Abigail answered smoothly, her hand back in Henry’s. 

“And you two?” he asked, needing to get back into building a rapport with the other couples so they could find the answers they were looking for and wrap up this story. “How long have you been married?”

“It will be eight years in March.” Debbie answered, looking up at Mark with a soft and utterly happy look on her face. 

“We come here every year to get away from everything and just focus on each other.” Mark answered, returning the look of love Debbie had given to him. 

Abigail glanced at Henry and he knew she was thinking the same thing. “Every year? That is so sweet.”

Debbie nodded. “We just love it here.” 

“Did you know any of those couples who went missing?” Henry asked, keeping his tone light and conversational. “I read that they had all visited this bed and breakfast before their disappearance.” 

“That’s just so tragic. I hope they’re found soon,” Debbie said. “We didn’t know any of the couples though, we only come this time of year, so we weren’t here when they went missing.”

Her tone was the kind of surface level sadness you feel for tragedy not connected to you, and Henry hadn’t been expecting tears, but there was something about her answer that felt off. 

Abigail opened her mouth to ask another question when Mark spoke. 

“If you’re wanting to meet other couples who stay here regularly, we’re having dinner with several of them tonight at a restaurant in town if you wanted to join us.”

Henry looked at Abigail for confirmation, already knowing her answer. 

“We would love to,” 

Mark glanced down at his watch. “Meet us here at seven and you can follow us to the place. We have to get going, though. We were just headed to lunch.” 

Henry waved as Mark and Debbie walked off. 

“Did you get the feeling that they weren’t telling us everything?” Henry asked once they were alone in the lobby. 

Abigail nodded. “Absolutely. Hopefully these other couples will be more forthcoming at dinner tonight.”

\-----

“What are you looking at?” Abigail asked as she caught his eye in the bathroom mirror later that evening. She arched an eyebrow as she waited for a response and slid first one earring in and then the other. 

Henry shook his head slightly trying to rid his mind of the memory of their much too short kiss downstairs and how soft her lips felt against his. 

“You look beautiful,” he said simply.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice hushed, none of her usual archness in her tone. Her earrings in and makeup done, she turned around and walked over to him.

“You look very nice yourself,” she said, her eyes flicking to his lips and then up to meet his eyes.

He licked his lips and then she pushed herself up on her toes to press her mouth to his. 

This time, Henry didn’t hesitate before wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. Her arms went around the back of his neck, one hand reaching up to play with his hair. Henry moved forward, one step and then two, until Abigail bumped into the door frame. She laughed out an _“ow”_ as her head hit the wood and then she was pushing herself higher on her toes to be even closer. 

This was nothing like the kiss downstairs which, while it had been lovely, had been nothing more than a press of her lips against his. This was frantic and passionate, and even as he knew that they needed to slow down and talk before they did something that could ruin what they had built working together the past several months, he couldn’t make himself actually pull away from her. 

There was a shout followed by a loud bang coming from the hallway and they both pulled back, confused by the sound. 

“What was that?” she asked, her lipstick smudged and her hair half pulled out of the updo she had put it in for dinner. 

“I’m not sure. Should we…” he trailed off as they both headed for the door. 

Once in the hallway, the source of the commotion became clear. Mark Seiler was taking a swing at a man they didn’t know, both Debbie and another woman shouting for them to stop from the doorways of their rooms just down the hall. 

Henry and Abigail rushed over to the group. 

“What is going on?” Abigail asked as she and Henry pushed between the two men trying to keep them apart. 

Neither of the men answered, but they backed off, allowing themselves to be pushed apart. 

Henry repeated Abigail’s question, but no one answered, all of them avoiding meeting Henry or Abigail’s eyes. 

“Debbie? Are you alright?” Abigail asked, her voice soft as she moved to block the other woman’s view of everyone else. 

Debbie finally met Abigail’s eyes, and Henry could see as soon as she did that they wouldn’t be getting any answers tonight. 

“It’s none of your concern, I’m sorry if we disturbed you,” Debbie said with a shake of her head before dragging Mark back into their room. 

The other couple said nothing as they walked into their room and shut the door, leaving Henry and Abigail alone in the hallway. 

“What was that about?” 

Abigail shook her head. “I have no idea, but I’m guessing dinner is cancelled.” 

\-----

They went down to the lobby at seven, but nobody showed. After waiting twenty minutes, they got up to head back to their room when Abigail pulled on Henry’s hand, signalling him to stop. 

“What is it?”

Abigail gestured toward the front desk. 

“Distract the clerk while I see if I can get the other couple’s names.”

“Abigail…” Henry started, not sure this was a good idea. 

Abigail silence him with a look. “It won’t take long. They have one of those old fashioned log books, I’ll just take a peek.” 

Henry sighed, knowing there would be no changing her mind. Glancing around for a reason to talk to the clerk, he noticed the rack of tourist activity brochures along the wall. He grabbed one from the top, and walked up to the desk. 

“Excuse me,” he said, his voice loud and cheerful. 

“How can I help you?” the clerk asked, matching Henry’s tone. 

Henry opened the brochure, advertising a horse farm upstate, and pointed to the small map inside. 

“My wife and I were wanting to go out and do something fun tomorrow afternoon. Is this close by?” he asked, knowing from the town name on the brochure that it was a good three and a half hours away from where they were. 

The clerk shook his head. “If you’re willing to drive three and a half hours there and back, it is, but I’m guessing you want something closer?”

“That’s no good. What would you suggest that’s closer to the bed and breakfast?”

The clerk squinted at the rack of brochures across the room. 

“What kind of activity were you looking for?” he asked, looking back at Henry. 

“My wife and I love the outdoors. Although, she is also rather partial to museums, if you have any suggestions.” 

The clerk stepped out from behind the counter and crossed the room to pick out several brochures. Henry glanced back to see Abigail leaned over the counter, and he walked over to join the clerk, effectively blocking him from seeing what she was doing. 

“My recommendation would be the ski lodge. It’s only about twenty minutes from here. There’s also the local history museum in town,” the clerk said, handing Henry the brochures he had picked out. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Henry said, turning so that the clerk’s back was to the counter. “We love to ski, but didn’t bring any of our equipment. Do they have rentals?”

“They do, and if you look inside, you’ll see their rates…” 

Henry looked up in the middle of the clerk’s explanation to see Abigail leaning casually against the front counter. 

“I think this will do the trick,” he said, once the clerk had finished speaking. “Thank you so much for your suggestions.” 

“I take it you were successful?” Henry asked as they walked back to their room, hand in hand. He tried to keep his focus on her answer, and not how well her hand fit in his. 

“I’ll tell you when we get back to the room,” she said, her eyebrows pulled down in concentration. 

Henry threw the brochures into the trash as soon as they were back in the room, and then turned to Abigail. 

“Well?” he asked, as she walked over to the wall and peered at her notes.

She waved him off, and moved one hand up so that she could run her finger down a list of names. She paused once she reached part way down the list and turned to face him. 

“I knew it,” she said, pointing at the name on the list. 

“What is it?” he asked as he moved over to look at the sheet. 

“The couple across the hall from the Seilers is Oscar and Jessica Valsecchi,” she answered sounding triumphant.

“Valsecchi, isn’t that--”

“The third couple to go missing was Brion and Adriana Azevedo. And Adriana’s maiden name is--”

“Valsecchi.” Henry finished, looking at the paper where she had written out all the information for the missing couples. 

“What do you want to bet that Oscar is Adriana’s brother?” Abigail asked, moving over to her laptop. 

“The odds are certainly high,” he answered absently as he looked over her notes on the wall again. Next to each couple, Abigail had written the dates they had last been seen. There was something about the dates, some pattern he wasn’t seeing. 

“What is it?”

Henry looked over to find Abigail staring at him. 

“I know that look. What are you working out?” she asked, pushing away from the table to move over by him. 

He pointed at the list of dates. “I’m not sure. There’s something about the dates.” 

He peered at them, willing something to click. 

“Looking at the numbers like this, it almost looks like...no, wait, it is. The days follow a fibonacci sequence,” he said, pointing at the first date. “I almost didn’t notice, the first two dates are the first four numbers combined. The first couple disappeared on August 11, the next on September 23, then October 5, and November 8. It’s December now, and the next number in the sequence is 13, which is--”

“Tomorrow,” Abigail finished, looking at him, eyes wide. “A new couple is going to disappear tomorrow.” 

\-----

They worked for a little while longer after Henry’s discovery, going back over the facts, discussing their theories and coming up with a plan for the next day, but soon, they were both yawning. 

“I think it’s time for bed,” Abigail said as she leaned forward in a stretch, a small groan slipping out as she stretched her back. 

Henry nodded, as he closed down his laptop and put away his notes. 

“I want to get up early tomorrow and see if we can catch the Seilers or the Valsecchis at breakfast,” Abigail said as she gathered her pajamas and toiletries bag from her suitcase. 

Henry nodded and avoided looking at the bed, which didn’t seem quite as large as it had that morning. He’d managed to forget about it while they were working, but it was unavoidable now. 

Abigail changed in the bathroom first, while Henry looked over the wall of notes again, trying to see if there were any other clues he had missed. 

“It’s all yours.” 

Henry turned at the sound of her voice to see her putting her clothes back in her suitcase. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail, her face free of makeup. Her blue flannel pajamas were loose and well worn. He dragged his gaze away, not wanting to be caught staring. Again. 

By the time he came out of the bathroom in his own pajamas, she had turned off all of the lights except for the small bedside lamp and gotten into bed. 

He slipped under the covers and carefully kept his distance, laying down as close to the edge as he could. 

He turned off the lamp with a soft “goodnight,” which she answered drowsily, clearly right on the edge of sleep. 

He was glad. If she was asleep, he wouldn’t be tempted to talk to her about the kiss earlier, or try to kiss her again. 

It didn’t mean anything. They had been caught up in the moment, caught up in their covers. The bed and breakfast was rather a romantic spot, after all. That didn’t mean she felt anything for him. If only he could convince himself that he felt nothing for her. 

\-----

He woke up the next morning alone to the sound of Abigail’s hair dryer. He rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 5:30 am. He groaned. It had taken him hours to fall asleep and it had been almost eleven by the time they went to bed. 

They got ready around each other, speaking little as they moved through their individual morning routines. It was comforting, to know that they were familiar enough with each other to be in the same space without need to fill the silence. 

They wandered downstairs for breakfast shortly after 6:00. They weren’t sure when, or even if, the Seilers or the Valsecchis would eat breakfast, so they grabbed a small table in the far corner. 

They didn’t have to wait long. Oscar and Jessica Valsecchi walked in at 6:45. Jessica chose a table close to the food, while Oscar grabbed them both plates. 

“Would you like anything else, darling?” Abigail asked, gesturing to his empty plate as she stood. “I think I’m going to go get a bagel.” 

Henry shook his head. 

He watched as she accidentally bumped into Oscar. He could see her apologizing, and try to strike up conversation. He gave what looked like one word answers and moved to sit with his wife. Abigail shot him a glance before she moved down the table to fill her plate. 

Abigail took her time getting her bagel ready. She stayed near the end of the long table, which was only a few feet from where the Valsecchis sat. She had her phone out while she waited for the toaster and was playing some sort of game on it. Probably that candy one that everyone in the office was talking about. 

Henry watched as she spread a thick layer of cream cheese on each half of the bagel, and then added strawberries, one at a time. 

Oscar stood up and threw his and Jessica’s plates away before they both walked out of the room. 

Abigail glanced at them as they left and then returned to their table in the back. 

“He’s not very friendly,” she said as she sat down and took a bite of her bagel. I tried to ask him how he was enjoying his stay, and all he would say was that it was ‘fine.’” 

“Maybe the Seilers will be more useful.” Henry said, taking a sip of his tea. 

“He didn’t say much to me, but I was able to overhear him talking to his wife,” she said with a triumphant grin. “They’re going to dinner in town tonight at 6:30. We could follow them later if we’re not able to find anything more concrete before them.” 

“You think they’re involved?”

“Maybe not with the disappearances, but something is going on. There wasn’t anything I could really point to as being weird while they were talking about dinner, but something was off. I think following them could get us something.” 

Henry smiled. “I’ve relied on those instincts of yours too many times not to listen to them now.” 

\-----

They spent the afternoon and early evening on a small loveseat by the fireplace in the lobby. The Seilers hadn’t come down to breakfast, and Henry had suggested staking out the lobby to see if they came by at any point during the day. They didn’t, but Henry was able to finish one of the books he had brought along. He couldn’t remember much from the story, but it had proved a good excuse for staying in the lobby all afternoon. 

At ten after six, they still hadn’t seen the Seilers, but the Valsecchis wandered into the lobby, right on time to make dinner at 6:30. Henry and Abigail waited until they had left the building before following them out into the parking lot. Henry kept his arm around Abigail and she leaned into him as they walked. They kept up a steady stream of quiet conversation as they walked to the car, both of them keeping an eye on their target. 

They followed them to a small, Italian restaurant in town and parked further down the block.. 

Oscar and Jessica walked into the restaurant, and Henry and Abigail settled down to wait. 

“We should have brought snacks,” Abigail said thirty minutes later. She fiddled with her phone in her lap. She never had been one for waiting around. 

“Is that Jessica?” Henry asked, leaning forward as a woman exited the restaurant. 

“It looks like it,” Abigail asked, sitting up, no longer bored. 

Jessica walked to her car, and opened up the trunk. She bent down to grab something from inside. 

“She’s seen us,” Abigail said with a sigh, as Jessica closed the trunk and turned around, looking straight at them.

Henry contemplated pulling Abigail into a kiss, but as Jessica walked toward their car, he knew it wouldn’t work. 

Abigail rolled down her window as Jessica reached the car. 

“Can we help you?” she asked, her smile wide and meant to be disarming. 

“You can get out of the car,” Jessica said her voice hard. 

“Excuse me?”

Jessica reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Abigail. “I said you can get out of the car and come with me.” 

Abigail exchanged a wide eyed look with Henry and they both unbuckled their seatbelts. 

“You first,” she said gesturing at Abigail. “and then him.” 

She held Abigail close, the gun aimed at her as Henry got out and walked around the car. 

“There’s no need to do this,” he said, his hands up.

Jessica ignored his plea. “We’re going to go for a little walk,” she said pointing them in the direction of the dark, cramped alley behind their car. 

“Why were you following us?” Jessica asked, keeping her gun trained on Abigail. 

“We weren’t following you, Henry and I were just going to dinner,” Abigail said, her hands raised, her tone soft. 

“You were listening in on our conversation at breakfast and you were there when Oscar and Mark were fighting,” Jessica insisted, as she moved them all further down the alley. “Why are you really here?”

“We’re just here to have a nice weekend at the bed and breakfast, like you.” Abigail said, her voice calm and even. 

“Stop lying to me!” Jessica spat, her voice almost a yell. 

Henry edged closer to Abigail, as she tried to talk Jessica down. 

“I’m telling you, we’re not lying.” 

Jessica took a deep breath, and then smiled at them. “We both know that’s not true, but in a few minutes, it’s not going to matter.” 

Henry had seen enough guns fired in his lifetime to know when someone was about to shoot. He pushed Abigail out of the way just as Jessica pulled the trigger. 

“Henry!” 

Henry felt himself fall, felt the pain radiating out of his shoulder until that was all there was. 

“Henry! Henry, talk to me!” 

He could hear Abigail sobbing his name, but it sounded muffled. He never would get use to getting shot.

“I’m fine,” he tried to get out, but it was difficult to form words. He was losing a lot of blood, he could tell, but had a harder time gauging whether this would kill him or not. 

Jessica said something then, some sort of clever remark, by the sound of her tone. He heard the words, but they held no meaning. He heard and felt Abigail’s sobs as she held him, but the world was getting farther away. 

“Freeze! Police!” 

That’s when everything turned black. 

\-----

Henry woke to white, and a steady, quiet beeping. 

“Where am I?” he asked, his voice hoarse and rough. 

“You’re in the hospital,” a voice answered to his right. He tried to focus on the voice, and clear his head. 

He turned his head and saw Abigail sitting on a chair at his bedside. 

“Abigail?” he asked, trying to remember what had happened. 

Jessica. The gun. He had really thought they were going to die in that alley, but seeing Abigail and feeling the pain in his shoulder let him know that they, and his secret were safe.

“What happened with Jessica? Who called the police?” he asked, the edges of his mind clearing slightly. 

“I texted Jo to call them if she didn’t hear back in a few minutes when we saw Jessica coming over. One of the perks of actually owning a cell phone,” Abigail said, trying to make a joke out of it, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

Henry chuckled. “I’ll just have to stay near you.” 

“Yes, please,” Abigail said, her voice tight. She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

“So Jessica and Oscar were responsible for the missing couples?”

Abigail shook her head. “It was Jessica and the Seilers. Oscar had no idea.” 

“Why?”

“Jessica wanted Adriana dead so that everything from their parents would go to her and Oscar. Apparently, half a million dollars wasn’t enough for her, she wanted all of it.” Abigail said, her thumb absently rubbing soothing circles over his knuckles. “The second missing couple, the Huangs, were the Seilers target. Everyone else was just a decoy.” 

“Oscar wasn’t involved?”

Abigail shook her head. “He found out the Seilers were involved with her disappearance, but didn’t know Jessica’s connection or that his sister had been murdered. That’s why he confronted Mark.” 

Henry could already feel himself slipping back towards unconsciousness. “Reece will be glad we solved the story,” he said, his words beginning to slur. 

“Rest well, Henry,” Abigail whispered, before pressing a kiss to his forehead. He was asleep after that. 

\-----

Henry had gone home as soon as the story had been written and sent to Reece. She hadn’t even wanted him in the office, but he’d wanted to finish the story and see it through before he went home. His arm was in a sling, which made typing difficult, but Abigail had typed most of the story up, and he had satisfied himself with standing behind her and making notes as she typed. 

She’d kicked him back to his desk after the fifth time he’d corrected her spelling and he’d organized his desk to kill time waiting until Abigail had confirmed it had been sent over. 

He wanted to say something to Abigail, ask about the kiss in their room, but getting shot had brought the issue of his immortality back to the forefront of his thoughts, and he knew it would be easier if they just forgot about it and remained close, but professional partners. 

Being at home was even worse than being at the office, because there was less to do, and Abe had kicked him out of the shop area faster than Abigail had asked him to leave her desk that afternoon. 

He went down to his lab, and tried to work on his experiments, the ones he’d been running for as long as he’d been cursed, from back when he was still a doctor, but he felt restless and nothing seemed able to keep his attention. 

“Henry, you have a visitor,” Abe said, coming down the steps after the fourth time Henry had dusted the room. 

“Who is it?” he asked, rising from where he had crouched to reach a jar on a low shelf with the feather duster. 

“She’s upstairs,” was all Abe said before he went back up. 

Knowing who he both hoped and feared it was, Henry walked up the steps with trepidation. His desire to run only grew as he entered the kitchen and saw Abigail seated at the table, although whether he wanted to run to her or away from her, he wasn’t quite sure. 

“Hello, Abigail,” he said quietly, not trusting himself to move closer than the edge of the table. 

“Hello, Henry.” 

“Would you like some tea?” he asked, falling back on manners to give him a moment to gather his courage for what he knew he would have to say. 

“That would be lovely, thank you.” 

“Was there something Reece wanted us to change in the story?” he asked as he filled the kettle with water. 

“No, the story’s fine. Henry, I came to talk about what happened at the bed and breakfast,” she said standing up and walking over to where he stood at the sink. 

“Abigail…” he began, with a sigh, “I can’t…” 

“Do you like me?” she asked, not letting him finish. 

He stared at her, and knew he should lie, tell her that he hadn’t been thinking of the feel of her lips on his, or her hand in his. Tell her that he didn’t like her, that he didn’t think about her all the time, hadn’t been almost from the moment they met. It would be easier that way, and save them both heartache down the line. But with her here in his kitchen, staring at him with the same kind of determination she showed to those she interviewed and a measure of softness she reserved for those she cared about, he couldn’t let himself lie to her. 

“I do,” he said, his voice hoarse. 

“Then why have you been so distant since we kissed? Because I like you, too.” 

“My life is complicated,” he said, knowing it wouldn’t be enough for her. He turned off the sink and set down the kettle, turning to face her fully.

She gave him a look. “Henry, we’ve been partners for months. You’re as much of a workaholic as I am, and any time you spend away from the office is spent at home. Besides,” she continued, her smile widening and turning flirty. “I happen to liked complicated. It makes things more fun.” 

“We work together, and it will cause awkwardness if it didn’t work out,” he protested, wishing she would understand that this was for the best. 

“We’ll deal with that if we ever get to that point,” she said, anger creeping into her tone. “I think it’s worth the risk.”

“It can’t end well,” he said finally trying to get her to see. 

“Who cares how it ends?” she asked stepping closer to him. “Just because something ends, or ends badly doesn’t mean it wasn’t good while it lasted. It’s about the journey, Henry. We work well together, and I think this trip proved we could work well outside of the office too.” 

Henry knew when he was defeated. She was persistent and he was weak. He wanted to be with her, and her arguments were sounding more and more logical. 

“How about dinner tomorrow?” he asked finally, a small smile on his lips. 

“You can pick me up at eight,” she said with a grin before pulling him down for a kiss. 


End file.
